History

Ezekiel Receiving Divine Guidance

Throughout all of recorded history, human beings have been seeking a higher source of wisdom and knowledge. Ancient indigenous peoples and cultures sought guidance from the spirits of nature and the cosmos through human intermediaries. These human intermediaries were the shamans, priests, oracles, and prophets who carried messages between the world of the spirits and the world of the people. The messages they delivered were often received through experiences that involved dreams, visions, voices, revelations, and visceral inner prompting.

The messages from the spirit were also often seen as being transmitted through natural signs and wonders. These natural signs and wonders were interpreted through the art of divination. Divination is "…the attempt to elicit from some higher power or supernatural being the answers to questions beyond the range of ordinary human understanding" (Loewe & Blacker, 1981, p.1). The process of divination took many forms, and has been found in the recorded history of Babylon, Egypt, China, Tibet, Japan, Greece, Rome, Africa, and ancient European cultures. Forms of divination can also be found in most of the world’s religious traditions.

The many forms of divination through which divine guidance and prophecy was sought included the interpretation of natural and human signs and omens. These signs and omens were seen through the interpretation of patterns in the sky, lightning, the flight of birds, tea leaves, animal entrails, sneezing, chance remarks, and dreams. Systems of divination were developed that included the casting of lots or stones; gazing into water or a crystal ball; astrology; reading tarot cards; communication with the dead; and geomancy, a form of divination that uses signs and patterns of the earth. Many of these divination methods evolved into and/or included the guidance of an inner voice or voices.

In addition to methods of divination, the world’s spiritual and religious traditions developed systems of prayer, ritual, meditation, philosophy, and right conduct to aid in the development of contact with the Divine. Many of these systems developed out of the guidance received by the many mystics, saints, and prophets whose experiences of Divine contact have been recorded throughout the history of the world’s religious and spiritual traditions.

Their testimonials, and those of others, speak of a long history of communication between a higher force or idea and humanity. Mystics and saints have told of celestial visions and intimate contact with "…a still small voice" (I Kings 19:12). Artists, poets, scientists and philosophers have long sought and found inspiration from forces beyond them. Most of us have struggled with that elusive way of knowing called intuition. The Greek philosopher Socrates, psychologist Carl Jung, Swedish scientist-mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg, Moses, Saint Frances, Mohammed, and William Blake all have claimed to have received Divine guidance and inspiration.

Historical Figures 

The following historical figures have been reported to have received guidance from a Higher and/or Divine Source. These individuals, along with countless others who have claimed to be divinely guided and inspired, have had a profound and substantial influence on world events, religion, science, invention, economy, values, arts and culture. (Hastings, 1990).

• Abraham (1850 BC) Biblical patriarch Jacob (1623 BC) Biblical patriarch 
• Moses (1275 BC) Hebrew prophet and law giver 
• Elijah (597-571 BC) Hebrew prophet and reformer 
• Buddha (563-483 BC) Indian philosopher and founder of Buddhism 
• The Pythia of the Oracle of Delphi (550 BC) Greek oracle priestess who counseled warriors and kings 
• Socrates (469-399 BC) Greek philosopher 
• Jesus (8 BC - 29 AD) Hebrew prophet and central figure of Christianity 
• Saint Augustine (354-430 AD) Christian Latin Father, Doctor of the Church, and theologian 
• Muhammad (570-632) Meccan prophet and founder of Islam 
• Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) Christian abbess, mystic, writer, poet and composer 
• Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) Italian mystic, saint and founder of the Franciscan Order 
• Jalaluddin Rumi (1207-1273) Persian mystic and Sufi poet 
• Joan of Arc (1412-1431) National hero and patron Saint of France, and decisive figure of the Hundred's Years' War 
• Michelangelo (1475-1564) Italian painter, sculptor, architect and poet 
• Martin Luther (1483-1546) German theologian and initiator of the Protestant Reformation 
• Joseph Caro (1488-1575) Talmudic scholar and codifier of Jewish law 
• Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) Spanish saint and ecclesiastic who founded the Order of the Jesuits 
• Nostradamus (1503-1566) French physician, medical innovator, astrologer and prophesier 
• Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Spanish saint, mystic, author and founder of the Discalced Order 
• John of the Cross (1542-1591) Spanish saint, mystic, poet and theologian 
• George Fox (1642-1691) English religious leader and founder of the Society of Friends 
• Emanual Swedenborg (1688-1772) Swedish scientist, philosopher, mystic and theologian responsible for innovations and discoveries in mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology 
• Baal Shem Tov (1700-1760) Jewish mystic and founder of Hasidism 
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Austrian musical composer 
• William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, painter, visionary mystic and engraver 
• John Keats (1795-1821) English poet and major figure in the Romantic movement 
• Miki Nakayama (1797-1887) Japanese peasant girl who received revelations, founded Tenrikyo Shintoism and became a saint 
• Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) African American leader in the abolitionist movement who led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad she helped create. 
• Nettie Colburn Maynard (1841-1892) Spiritualist and medium for President Abraham Lincoln 
• Robert Lewis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and children's author 
• George Washington Carver (1861-1943) American educator, chemist, botanist and agricultural innovator 
• Wallace Black Elk (1863-1950) Native American religious and spiritual leader 
• Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English writer, poet and Nobel Laureate 
• Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian nationalist leader who established his countries freedom through nonviolent revolution 
• William Edmondson (1870-1951) African American artist and sculptor 
• Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) Indian nationalist and mystic philosopher 
• Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British politician and Prime Minister during World War II 
• Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) Austro-German mystic poet and novelist 
• Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist and founder of Analytical Psychology 
• Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) American psychic and healer 
• Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955) French Roman Catholic priest, theologian, geologist, paleontologist and philosopher 
• General George S.Patton (1885-1945) Celebrated American army officer 
• Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) Indian yogi who brought yoga to the West and founded the Self-Realization Fellowship 
• William Griffith Wilson (Bill W) (1895-1971) Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous 
• Krishnamurti (1895-1986) Influential Indian philosopher, teacher and mystic 
• John Fire Lame Deer (1903-1976) Native American Holy man 
• Peace Pilgrim (1908-1981) Peace activist who walked 25,000 miles across America for over 28 years 
• Helen Schucman (1909-1981) Psychologist and scribe for the channeled material of A COURSE IN MIRACLES 
• Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) American clergyman, Nobel Prize winner and principal leader of the American Civil Rights Movement  

Historical Accounts 

The experience of divine guidance has been reported in numerous biblical and historical accounts. These accounts are found in the sacred texts of the world, and in the biographical and autobiographical accounts of individuals and groups. These are the stories of how others have experienced the Divine in all its forms; they are the stories told through time by the Saints, Mystics, Poets and Artists. The sum of these stories is the story of humanities experiences with the Divine; it is the story of our search for guidance and for wisdom from a Source beyond our limited perceptions of our selves and the world around us. The following quotations are a small sampling of the historical accounts of divine guidance that have been reported throughout time, across cultures and across traditions.

John Fire Lame Deer 

I was all alone on the hilltop. I sat there in the vision pit, a hole dug into the hill, my arms hugging my knees as I watched old man Chest, the medicine man who had brought me there, disappear far down in the valley. He was just a moving black dot among the pines, and soon he was gone altogether. Now I was all by myself, left on the hilltop for four days and nights without food or water until he came back for me... Darkness had fallen upon the hill. I knew that hanhepiwi had risen, the night sun, which is what we call the moon. Huddled in my narrow cave, I did not see it. Blackness was wrapped around me like a velvet cloth... Slowly I perceived that a voice was trying to tell me something. It was a bird cry, but I tell you, I began to understand some of it … I heard a human voice too, strange and high pitched, a voice which could not come from an ordinary, living being. All at once I was way up there with the birds. The hill with the vision pit was way above everything. I could look down even on the stars, and the moon was close to my left side. It seemed as though the earth and the stars were moving below me. A voice said, "You are sacrificing yourself here to be a medicine man. In time you will be one. - Lame Deer; Erdoes, R. (1972). Lame Deer Seeker of Visions. New York: Washington Square Press, p.1-5

The Prophet Elijah 

Elijah arose, and ate and drank, and on the strength of that meal he traveled forty days and nights to Horeb, God's mountain. There he came to a cave, and lodged in it...And, behold, God passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountain, and broke the rocks in pieces before God; but God was not in the wind. An earthquake followed the wind, but God was not in the earthquake. A fire followed the earthquake, but God was not in the fire; and after came a still, small voice. - The Holy Bible, Kings I 19:8-13

Jesus

It was at this time that Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John... As soon as Jesus was baptized he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from heaven, 'This is my Son, the Beloved, my favor rests in him'. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves'. But he replied, 'Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'. The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. 'If you are the Son of God' he said 'throw yourself down; for the scripture says: He will put you in his angels' charge, and they will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone'. Jesus said to him, 'Scripture also says: You must not put the Lord your God to the test'. Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'I will give you all these' he said 'if you fall at my feet and worship me.' Then Jesus replied, 'Be off, Satan! For scripture says: You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.' Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him....Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their synagogues and everyone praised him. A voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again'. People standing by, who heard this, said it was a clap of thunder; others said, 'It was an angel speaking to him'. Jesus answered, 'It was not for my sake that this voice came, but for yours. - The Jerusalem Bible, Mark 1:9; Matthew 3:13-4:10; Luke 4:14-15; John 12:28-30

Muhammad

Muhammad was in the habit of retiring to a cave in Mount Hira, not far from Mecca. Many was the time, after leaving the town, that he clearly heard the words "Peace be on thee, O apostle of Allah", but looking around all he could see were trees and stones. On the 26-27th of Ramadan when he was in his fortieth year and alone in the cave there came to him an angel in the form of a man. Gabriel recited what was to become the first five verses of the Qur'an of sura 96... "With the name of God, the Most Merciful, the All-Merciful, with the name of thy Lord Who created, Created man from what clings, and thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who taught by the pen, Taught man what he knew not" (Qur'an 96:1-5). Muhammad recited these words after the angel. He later said, "It was as though the words were written on my heart." …Muhammad continued to receive Revelations from Allah, although spasmodically at first. Some were spoken to him in the same manner as the first, but others came to him like the reverberations of a bell and these were very hard on him. The Prophet spoke of the Revelations to those who were closest to him but asked them not to divulge his secret for the time being. One day while he was on the hillside, Gabriel came to him, struck the ground with his heel causing a spring to gush forth. Then he performed the ritual ablution to show the Prophet how to purify himself for worship. Then Gabriel showed him how to pray and what to say. The Prophet went home and taught Khadijah [his wife] and his followers all that he had learnt. The new religion was established. - Robert E Burns (1994). The wrath of Allah. Houston, Texas: Ghosh Publications, p. 10-14.

The Apology of Socrates

O my judges--for you I may truly call judges--I should like to tell you of a wonderful circumstance. hitherto the familiar oracle within me has constantly been in the habit of opposing me even about trifles, if I was going to make a slip or error about anything; and now as you see there has come upon me that which may be thought, and is generally believed to be, the last and worst evil. But the oracle made no sign of opposition, either as I was leaving my house and going out in the morning, or when I was going up into this court, or while I was speaking, at anything which I was going to say; and yet I have often been stopped in the middle of a speech; but now in nothing I either said or did touching this matter has the oracle opposed me. What do I take to be the explanation of this? I will tell you. I regard this as a proof that what has happened to me is a good, and that those of us who think that death is an evil are in error. This is a great proof to me of what I am saying, for the customary sign would surely have opposed me had I been going to evil and not to good. - Plato (1980). The Apology of Socrates. Danbury, CT: Grolier Enterprises, p.28.

Paramahansa Yogananda

My first experience in hearing the Divine Voice came when I was a little child. Sitting on my bed one morning, I fell into a deep reverie. 'What is behind the darkness of closed eyes?' This probing thought came powerfully into my mind. An immense flash of light at once manifested to my inner gaze. Divine shapes of saints, sitting in meditation in mountain caves, formed like miniature cinema pictures on the large screen of radiance within my forehead. 'Who are you?' I spoke aloud. 'We are the Himalayan yogis.' The celestial response is difficult to describe; my heart was thrilled. The vision vanished, but the silvery beams expanded in ever widening circles to infinity. I said, 'What is this wondrous glow?' 'I am Iswara (the Lord). I am the Light.' The Voice was as murmuring clouds. My mother and eldest sister Roma were nearby when I had this early experience, and they too heard the Divine Voice. I received such happiness from God's response that I determined then and there to search for Him until I would become wholly one with Him." - Paramahansa Yogananda (1957), How You can talk with God. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, p. 9-10.

Buddha

The Holy One directed his steps to that blessed Bodhi tree beneath whose shade he was to accomplish his search. As he walked, the earth shook and a brilliant light transfigured the world. When he sat down the heavens resounded with joy and all living beings were filled with good cheer. Mara alone, lord of the five desires, bringer of death and enemy of truth, was grieved and rejoiced not. With his three daughters, Tanha, Raga and Arati, the tempters, and with his host of evil demons, he went to the place where the great samana sat. But Sakyamuni heeded him not. Mara uttered fear-inspiring threats and raised a whirlwind so that the skies were darkened and the ocean roared and trembled. But the Blessed One under the Bodhi-tree remained calm and feared not. The Enlightened One knew that no harm could befall him. The three daughters of Mara tempted the Bodhisattva, but he paid no attention to them, and when Mara saw that he could kindle no desire in the heart of the victorious samana, he ordered all the evil spirits at his command to attack him and overawe the great muni. But the Blessed One watched them as one would watch the harmless games of children. All the fierce hatred of the evil spirits was of no avail. The flames of hell became wholesome breezes of perfume, and the angry thunderbolts were changed into lotus-blossoms. When Mara saw this, he fled away with his army from the Bodhi-tree, whilst from above a rain of heavenly flowers fell, and voices of good spirits were heard: "Behold the great muni! his heart unmoved by hatred. The wicked Mara's host 'gainst him did not prevail. Pure is he and wise, loving and full of mercy. As the rays of the sun drown the darkness of the world, so he who perseveres in his search will find the truth and the truth will enlighten him. - Carus, P. (1894). The Gospel of Buddha. Australia: Mountain Man Graphics, 11:1-10.

...the ancient Buddhist Texts tell us about the hesitation of the Buddha before beginning his mission: "I have discovered a profound Truth, difficult to perceive, difficult to understand, accessible only to the wise. ...If I proclaim it and men are unable to understand it, the only result will be fatigue and annoyance for me." ...At this point the Texts...tell of the intervention of a God, Brahma Sahampati, who put into words the thoughts springing up in the mind of the Buddha. Brahma Sahamapati exhorts the Buddha to conquer His hesitation: "...Arise, O Victorious One! Travel thoughout the world, O Chief of Pilgrims (beings who wander in the round of successive births and deaths). There are some who will understand Thee. - David-Neel; Lama Yongden (1967). The secret oral teachings in Tibetan Buddhist sects. San Francisco: City Lights Books, p.4-6.

Chuang Tzu - On Equalizing Things

Tzu-ch'i of Nan-kuo sat leaning on an armrest. He looked up at the sky and sighed. It seemed that he was oblivious of his body and soul. Rising to stand before him, Yen-ch'eng Tzu-yu said, "What is your state? Is the body indeed to be made like a withered tree and the mind like dead ashes? The way you are leaning on the armrest now is not like before?' Tzu-ch'i said, "Is it not good that you have asked about this? Now I have forgotten myself. Do you recognize this? "Even if you have heard the pipes of humanity, you have not heard the pipes of earth. Even if you have heard the pipes of earth, you have not heard the pipes of heaven. Tzu-yu asked, "How is that done, may I ask?" Tzu-ch'i said, "When the Great Mass exhales, that is called wind. It is not active now, but when it acts up, all openings howl furiously. Have you alone not heard its sound in the swaying of the mountain forests? The holes in a giant tree are like nose, mouth, and ears, like square boxes, like round cages, like mortars, like cavities, like depressions: some roar, some whistle, some chatter, some huff, some howl, some wail, some boom, some cry. Those that sing out first are followed by others chiming in; in a breeze there is a small concert, in a wind there is a grand concert. When the forceful wind stops, all the holes are empty. Do you alone not see the trees swaying?" Tzu-yu said, "If those myriad holes are the pipes of the earth, and the pipes of humanity are the woodwind instruments, then may I ask what the pipes of heaven are?" Tzu-Ch'I said, "Their playing has myriad differences, and causes them to come from themselves. All partake on their own, but who is the motive force? - Cleary, T. (1992). The essential Tao. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. p.69-70.

Note 

Throughout history there have also been many pathological individuals claiming to receive Divine guidance. Many spiritual traditions have developed systems of discernment to test the validity of guidance, and psychologists have been studying ways to distinguish the difference between authentic and pathological experiences of inner guidance (Liester, 1996).

Sources 

• Alschuler, A. S. (1993). Inner Teachers and Transcendent Education. In Cultivating consciousness: Enhancing human potential, wellness, and healing (K. Ramakrishna Rao, Ed.), pp.181-193. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. 
• Alschuler, A.S. (1987). Recognizing inner teachers ; inner voices throughout history. Gnosis, No.5, p.8-12. 
• Buckley, Michael, 1973. The structure of the rules for the discernment of spirits. The Way, Supplement 20, p.19-37. 
• Burns, R. (1994). The wrath of Allah. Houston, Texas: Ghosh Publications, p. 10-14.
• Carus, P. (1894). The Gospel of Buddha. Australia: Mountain Man Graphics, 11:1-10. 
• Cleary, T. (1992). The essential Tao. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. p.69-70.
• Erdoes, R. (1972). Lame Deer Seeker of Visions. New York: Washington Square Press, p.1-5
• Hastings, A. (1990). With the tongues of men and angels: A study of channeling. San Francisco: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 
• Liester, M.B. (1996). Inner Voices: Distinguishing transcendent and pathological characteristics. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, Vol. 28, No.1, p.14. 
• Klimo, J. (1998). Channeling: Investigations on receiving information from paranormal sources. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books. 
• Plato (1980). The Apology of Socrates. Danbury, CT: Grolier Enterprises, p.28.
• Yogananda, P. (1957), How You can talk with God. Los Angeles: Self-Realization Fellowship, p. 9-10.
• Yongden, L. (1967). The secret oral teachings in Tibetan Buddhist sects. San Francisco: City Lights Books, p.4-6.
• Yungblut, J. 1988. The gentle art of spiritual guidance. New York: Continuum Publishing.